AIBU re travel time for my daughter?

[kimann]

My daughter has been accepted into a school 40 minutes by train from our home - I didn't think it was that bad before someone commented that it was unbelievably long. Daughter can't go by cat because she has awful motion sickness. Am I being unreasonable to put her through such a long journey for school? I feel like crap now!

It's a long way but she can do homework on the train, she'll be fine.

Thanks Pink - she's 3 so no homework yet I suppose I didn't think 40 minutes was long as I travel longer than that. Urghh I'm such an idiot sometimes.

• car not cat!

That's a lot of travelling for a 3 year old, is she going to be a long way from her peers? If so parties and play dates could be difficult, you risk her being isolated.

40 minute commute for a 4 year old...we are trying to move within walking distance of school as I don't like the 8 minute drive!

Crazy for a 3 year old.

Blimey, I assumed secondary school! Are you going to be travelling with her, or a nanny/grandparent?

40 minutes each way is far too long for a 3 year old

Many rural children will have similar commutes.

I assume you will be accompanying her so will be spending 3 hours a day doing the school run?

Doesn't sound very realistic, and what about birthday parties etc?

ooh.... i thought you meant catbus ......

sorry, i have no useful advice

Can't comment on the journey because I don't have DC. Do think very carefully about giving up a place now though until you know whether a local place is available.

Would it by quicker by car? I'm sure it would be easy to treat/prevent the motion sickness with the right advice?

3? Why on earth would you apply for a school so far away? I'm guessing you aren't in the UK? 3 year olds here don't go to school.

It's an awful long time on the train for you if you are doing the school run twice a day.

40 minutes is quite far for a tired 3 year old but I'm sure she will get used to it. You'll struggle more when kids start asking friends to come to tea or go back to school for concerts or school events.

My son is in a shared taxi for over an hour each way but he's at high school.

Are you going to spend 3 hours a day taking her to and from school?
I can't compute this. Are you expecting nanny to do this?

She's 3, there must be establishments closer to home that can meet her needs, I mean it's not as if it's Chetham"s or White Lodge.

It does seem a long journey for a 3yo, but do you have any alternative options? If not, then provide a snack for the homeward journey and maybe some activity. And be prepared for her to be completely shattered for a while until she gets used to the journey and school day.

I'm guessing private school?

I wouldn't do it personally. How far is it by car?

I'm hoping to send my dc to a secondary school within 1 mile!

That's mad. Maybe we're just fortunate around here. I've never heard of such young children commuting that far. Fair enough in secondary school but not at 3!

a) i totally read that as 'time travel' to begin with and now i'm disappointed.
b) my children have always travelled that far to school and have been fine. the secondary age ones travel an hour at least to school a day. they've survived!
There are children in other parts of world who walk for hours to get to school!!

That's crazy for a 3/4 year old. Me ds starts school in September and it's a 15 minute walk which will be a nightmare at the end of the day when he's shattered and hungry. No way would I do 40 minutes on a train, it'd be a nightmare with either a very grumpy, whining 4 year old, or they'd fall asleep and be a nightmare at home till bedtime when they wouldn't want to sleep.

If I were you op I'd be trying everything to get a school place closer to home.

Private school?